Your Queries

Wasn’t it brilliant to see Geraint Thomas win on L’alpe d’huez in the Tour de France this week. I know the it’s a ski resort in the Alps, but what does “Huez” mean? – P.

Huez is actually the small town, population 1300, in which the ski resort is contained.

The climb of L’alpe d’huez is 13.2km long, with a total ascent of 1071m and an average gradient of 8.1%.

Italian Marco Pantani completed the climb in just 37 mins and 35 seconds in 1997.

Recently in The Doc Replies column, your medic talked of a Baker’s cyst, a swelling behind the knee. I’ve racked my brains but can’t think of why a baker would get this. – D.

The condition is actually named after the surgeon who first described it, William Morrant Baker (1838–96). Knee damage caused by a sports-related injury or a blow to the knee can lead to a Baker’s cyst developing. Canadian football - is there such a thing? I ask as I overheard a chat on the bus where a couple of lads were chatting about sport. Is it like soccer? – B.

It’s very similar to American football. There are some major differences, such as the size of the playing field – 110 yards long compared to 100 – and the number of players, 12 as opposed to 11. And Canadian football only allows three downs to advance 10 yards, and American football has four. My nephew has just started collecting autographs (I don’t think any current Arbroath player’s signature will ever be worth much). But who scribbled the most expensive ever? – T.

The costliest – at $9.8million – was paid for George Washington’s personal copy of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the First Congress.

He signed the first page of the book.